Biblical timepiece

ABSTRACT

A clock, watch or the like having a dial on which time may be measured by the Roman system and at the same time, time may be measured by the system laid down in the Bible. Roman time is measured by the conventional 12-hour dial which is traversed by a minute hand once each hour and by an hour hand twice for each 24 hours. Biblical time is measured in hours, watches, days of the week, days of the month and months of the year, and the dial of the invention is traversed by a plurality of hands, one of said hands traversing the dial once each hour; another hand once each 12 hours; another hand once each 24 hours, (which are divided into 12 hours of the day and four watches of the night); by another of said hands once each 7 days to continuously designate the current day of a 7-day week; by another of said hands once each month to continuously designate the current day of the month and by another of said hands once each year to continuously designate the current month of the year.

United States .Patent 721 Inventors Samuel E. McDuffee;

Pauline M. McDuliee, both of General Delivery, Wrightwood, Calif. 92397 [21] Appli No. 33,369 [22] Filed Apr. 30, 1970 [45] Patented Dec. 21, 1971 54 BlBLlCAL TlMEPlECE 3 Claims, 2 Drawing Figs.

[52] US. Cl 58/4, 58/ 127 [51] Int. Cl ..G04b 19/24 [50] Field of Search 58/3-5, 425-43, 58, 127

[56] References Cited UNITED STAT ES PATENTS 1,190,789 7/1916 Morawski 5813 2,741,082 4/1956 Elberg 58/5 15 M/A/flff HAND Primary Examiner-Richard B. Wilkinson Assistant Examiner- Edith C. Simmons Att0rney Dana E. Keech ABSTRACT: A clock, watch or the like having a dial on which time may be measured by the Roman system and at the same time, time may be measured by the system laid down in the Bible. Roman time is measured by the conventional 12-hour dial which is traversed by a minute hand once each hour and by an hour hand twice for each 24 hours. Biblical time is measured in hours, watches, days of the week, days of the month and months of the year, and the dial of the invention is traversed by a plurality of hands, one of said hands traversing the dial once each hour; another hand once each 12 hours; another hand once each 24 hours, (which are divided into 12 hours of the day and four watches of the night); by another of said hands once each 7 days to continuously designate the current day of a 7-day week; by another of said hands once each month to continuously designate the current day of the month and by another of said hands once each year to continuously designate the current month of the year.

/ 7 H/EL C 141 0 4) HOUQ 4N0 /1//6A 7' WATCH 1 /4/10 a 1 BrsLrcAL' TIMEPIECE SUMMARY OF rim INVENTION While time has been kept by timepieces such as clocks, watches chronometers and hour glasses from time immemorial,'no timepiece has heretofore been provided which is adapted for keeping time in the manner laid down for man in.

the Holy Scriptures. We have studied time for 20 years and have discovered that God is the originator of a perfect timekeeping system, this system measuring time from the first day of creation which day was called Evening and Morning. On the fourth day, God created the Moon, Sun and Stars for mans use in reckoning time. This method is properly termed solar-lunar time, or lunar-solar time.

A study of Genesis proved to us that Adam used this system and reckoned the 930 years of his life by it. Noah also reckoned the years of his life by this system and labored 120 years, so measured, in preparing the Ark of safety that carried mankind from the world'that was before the flood to this world that now is. I

Moses used this time reckoning system of God to bring the tribes of Israel out of Egypt. He continued to use this system to reckon the 40 years that the children of Israel remained in the wilderness. By this system each day was reckoned as beginning in the evening and extending through the next morning to the following evening. The week was reckoned as a 7-day period including 6 secular days of labor and a sabbath of rest. Each month had either 29 days or 30 days and each year included 12 months or 13 months depending upon the needs of the system in which time was reckoned by the Moon and the Sun. The Moon was appointed for setting apart seasons and months, and ruled the evening portion of the day whereby that portion was divided into four watches presided over by the Moon, which is called the lesser light."

The Sun was of course a vital part of God's time reckoning system and was used for signs, seasons, and days. It provided the light of the day time (daylight) of each day and the day time was divided into twelve hours as referred to in John, chapter 11, verse 9. It provided reflected light for the Moon and Stars. God's time-reckoning system made use of both the Moon and Sun. I

At this waiting, by visible proof and Biblical proof, this lunar-solar time can be found and reckoned by a timepiece as time was kept from creation until it was lost shortly after the fall of the temple about 70 AD.

It is an object of the present invention to provide such a timepiece which will enable a person to govern himself or herself in keeping with Biblical time.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a timepiece by which a person may constantly be reminded of the Biblical creation week, the day of the Biblical month, the month of the Biblical year, as well as the hour of the day time and the portion of that hour which has expired and, during the night portion of each day, the watch of .that night and the relative portion of that watch which has expired in the context of Biblical teaching.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a timepiece which will simultaneously indicate the Roman hour of the day (divided into two l2-hour periods starting respectively at midnight and noon) and the Biblical month of the year, by its Biblical name in a circular track.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION, OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a face view of the preferred embodiment of the Biblical timepiece of the present invention. I

FIG. 2 is a transverse diametral sectional view of FIG. 1 taken on the line 22 thereof.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION As shown in the drawings, the timepiece l of-the invention, which may be a watch or a clock, includes a shellll having a dial l2 and a transparent crystal 13. Mounted on a central shaft 14 is a hand 15, vehicle other hands l6, 17, 18 19 and 20 are mounted respectively on tubular shafts 25, 26", 27, 28 and 29 which are telescopically and concentrically associated with shaft 14. I Y I The dial 12 has an outer circular track 30 which is gimp, ated to indicate an elapse of 60 minutes each time the hand 15 traverses this track. In other words, the hand 15 traverses the track 30 once each hour. Just inside the outer circular track 30 is a circular track 31 which is graduated to indicate the passage of 12 hours each time this track is traversed by the hand 16. Also sweeping over the area of the track 31 is hand 20 which traverses this track once a year and indicates by its position, any time during the Biblical lunar year, the current Biblical lunar month of the Biblical lunar year. I I

Spaced concentrically inwardly from track 31 is a circular track 32 which is divided circumferentially into 30 equal spaces bearing the numerals from one to 30 which indicate the days of a month of 30 days. This track is swept over by hand 19 which traverses this track once each 30 days, the position of this hand over this track indicating the current day of the month. I I

Disposed just inside the track 32 is acircular track 33 the area of which is swept over by hand 17 and which traverses track 33 once each 24 hours. The track 33 is divided horizontally into upper and I owersemicircular halves, the upper half being divided into 12 equal spaces each of which represents one of the 12 daytime" hours of the day. The lower half of track 33 is divided into four equal spaces each of which indicates one of the watches of the "night time" hours of the day which, as indicated on the dial in FIG. 1, are referred to as 1st Watch," 2nd Watch, 3rd Watch and "4th Watch," each of these watches covering one-quarter of the night time (evening). The location of hand 17 over circular track 33 at any time during the day or night designates the time of the day, either in terms of the current hour of the daytime, as referred to in the Bible, or with reference to the current "night watch," and the position of hand 17 indicates which watch is current and approximately what portion of it has already expired. I

The innermost circular track 34 on dial 12 is divided circumferentially into seven equal spaces each of which bears one of the numerals 1 to 7 inclusive and designates one of the days of a 7-day week. The end of hand 18 overlies track and traverses this once each 7 days. The position of this hand over this track indicates the current day of the Biblical week.

The shafts l4 and 25 to 29 inclusive are gea'r driven by a spring or motor driveri power mechanism 35 of conventional construction mounted within the shell 11 so that said shafts rotate in coordinately timed relation to produee the respective rates of rotation in said shafts indicated above. The individual hands 15 to 20 inclusive are frictionally mounted on said shafts for manual rotational adjustment as is necessary for keeping the timepiece 10 in approximate chroriolog ical liar mony with lunar-solar time set by the relative movements of the Moon and Sun. I I

Biblical time, which the timepiece 10 of the present invention was conceived for keeping, divides the year into 12 months, certain of which months are 30 days in length and other 29 days in length. The year is made up normally of 12 of these months with the addition of a 13th month when this becomes necessary to readjust the timepiece 10 to lunar-solar time. The timepiece ll) by virtue of the adjustability of the hands thereof is readily adaptable to making these adjustments.

While the invention is diagrammatically illustrated in the drawings and refers to frictional mounting of the hands on their respective shafts to facilitate periodical rotational adj ustment of certain of said hands as required in bringing the timepiece 10 into congruity with lunar-solar time, it is to be understood that a more sophisticated mechanism operated through separated conventional setting crowns would be preferable in actual practice to effect such adjustments.

The dial 12 of the invention also provides a circular track 36 which is concentric with and lies between tracks 31 and 32. The track 36 divided circumferentially into 12 equal spaces, each of which is disposed in radial alignment with one of the circumferential spaces in circular track 31 disposed between an adjacent pair of the hour-month designating numerals occupying track 31.

Each of the above-mentioned spaces into which circular track 36 is circumferentially divided is occupied by the Biblical name of the month of the Biblical 'year designated by the numeral in track 31 which immediately follows, clockwise, said names in circular track 36.

Thus the hands 16 and 20, sweeping circular tracks 31 and 36 as they do, simultaneously indicate the Roman hour of the civil day (divided into two 12-hour periods starting respectively at midnight and noon) andthe Biblical number of the Biblical month of the Biblical year.

The mechanism 35 embodies conventional gear connections between shafts 14, 25, 26, 27 28 and 29, the ratios of which are determined by the relative respective periods of rotation of said shafts which, of course, are identical with the periods of rotation of the hands 15, 16, 17, 18, 19 and 20 mounted on said shafts and described hereinabove. The provision of such gear connections between said shafts necessary to rotate the same at the fixed relative rates indicated is wholly within the skills of any competent watchmaker. It is not therefore deemed essential to a disclosure of the present invention full enough to enable a skilled watchmaker to make the same, that this go into the details of mechanism 35. For the watchmakers purposes, it is sufficient to point out in the following diagram the rotational drive ratios between the respective adjacent hand bearing shafts of the timepiece 10.

1. A timepiece for keeping time by Biblical chronology comprising:

a dial providing circular time measuring tracks including:

a day of the week track divided into seven equal parts each designating one of the days of a week; and

a night watches and day time hours track half of which is divided into four equal parts, each designating one of the four watches of the evening (night), and half of which is divided into 12 equal parts, each designating one of the 12 consecutive hours of the morning (day or sunlight) time; and

a conventional, time regulated power driven mechanism providing a series of hands mounted concentrically with said dial and coordinately rotated to sweep the areas of said dial occupied respectively by said tracks, said hands including:

a weekday indicating hand sweeping the area of said day the week track and traversing said track one each week;

a night watches and day hour indicating hand sweeping the area of said night watches and day time hours track and traversing said track once each 24 hours; and

a day of the Biblical month track divided into 30 equal spaces, each of which designates one of the days of a Biblical month of 30 days; said mechanism including a day-of-the-month indicating hand sweeping said day-of-the-month track and traversing said track once each 30 days;

said hand being rotationally adjustable at the end of the month having only 29 days, to properly start the following month by indicating the first day thereof on said track.

2. A timepiece as recited in claim 1 wherein said dial includes a month of the year track divided into 12 equal spaces each of which designates one of the months of a year of 12 months, and wherein said mechanism includes a month of the year indicating hand sweeping said month of the year indicating track and taking l year to traverse said track;

said hand being rotationally adjustable at the end of a year having 13 months, to properly start the following year by indicating the first month thereof on said track of the Biblical year.

3. A timepiece as recited in claim 2 wherein said mechanism includes a Roman time hour indicating hand sweeping said Biblical month of the year indicating track and traversing said track twice in 24 hours thus telling Roman time hours of the day said track also bearing the names of the 12 Biblical months, said month of the year hand thus simultaneously telling one said track the number of Biblical name of the month of the Biblical year.

a a at a 

1. A timepiece for keeping time by Biblical chronology comprising: a dial providing circular time measuring tracks including: a day of the week track divided into seven equal parts each designating one of the days of a week; and a night watches and day time hours track half of which is divided into four equal parts, each designating one of the four watches of the evening (night), and half of which is divided into 12 equal parts, each designating one of the 12 consecutive hours of the morning (day or sunlight) time; and a conventional, time regulated power driven mechanism providing a series of hands mounted concentrically with said dial and coordinately rotated to sweep the areas of said dial occupied respectively by said tracks, said hands including: a weekday indicating hand sweeping the area of said day the week track and traversing said track one each week; a night watches and day hour indicating hand sweeping the area of said night watches and day time hours track and traversing said track once each 24 hours; and a day of the Biblical month track divided into 30 equal spaces, each of which designates one of the days of a Biblical month of 30 days; said mechanism including a day-of-the-month indicating hand sweeping said day-of-the-month track and traversing said track once each 30 days; said hand being rotationally adjustable at the end of the month having only 29 days, to properly start the following month by indicating the first day thereof on said track.
 2. A timepiece as recited in claim 1 wherein said dial includes a month of the year track divided into 12 equal spaces each of which designates one of the months of a year of 12 months, and wherein said mechanism includes a month of the year indicating hand sweeping said month of the year indicating track and taking 1 year to traverse said track; said hand being rotationally adjustable at the end of a year having 13 months, to properly start the following year by indicating the first month thereof on said track of the Biblical year.
 3. A timepiece as recited in claim 2 wherein said mechanism includes a Roman time hour indicating hand sweeping said Biblical month of the year indicating track and traversing said track twice in 24 hours thus telling Roman time hours of the day said track also bearing the names of the 12 Biblical months, said month of the year hand thus simultaneously telling one said track the number of Biblical name of the month of the Biblical year. 